Isn't the purple cauliflower so gorgeous?About five months ago, I saw this purple cauliflower at the Farmers' Market in Alhambra and couldn't resist taking it home with me even though it was a whopping $4!
According to Wikipedia, purple cauliflower is from anthocyanin (Hey! That's also the pigment that makes blood oranges red!), which is also present in red cabbage and red wine. So even though it was an arresting color and I like cauliflower and all, I didn't love it. I mean, what was I going to do with a whole head of cauliflower?
Turns out, I came up with three recipes. :P
Except, while purple cauliflower looks pretty in the raw, when cooked, eh, not so much. So these recipes were sitting in my queue until FoWC (as in friend of) Oanh of Halfway between Ca Mau and Saigon said she'd be "mondo-chuffed" if I would post these recipes for her. Well, I've never had anyone get "chuffed"
Picture taken without flash.
And with flash.
See! I told you purple cauliflower doesn't look so pretty when cooked. Obviously you can make this recipe with regular white cauliflower as well.Roasted Purple Cauliflower with Bacon and Balsamic Vinegar
Adapted from Elise of Simply Recipes
You'll need:
As much cauliflower as you'd like, cut into 2-inch florets
A few strips of bacon, diced
A few garlic cloves, minced
A few drizzles of balsamic vinegar, or juice of half a lemon
A few drizzles of olive oil
A few dashes of parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut up about a quarter of a head of cauliflower, about 1 pound, sectioned into florets. Tossed with two strips of diced bacon and two cloves of minced garlic. Drizzle balsamic vinegar and olive oil over it all. Add a few dashes of parmesan cheese on top.
Bake in oven for about 15 minutes or until crisp-tender. Toss again before serving as a side dish.
Enjoy!
My other purple cauliflower recipes:
Gratin with purple cauliflower, fennel, and leeks
*****
1 year ago today, I introduced some OC food bloggers to bun oc (Vietnamese water snail rice vermicelli noodle soup) at Vien Dong Restaurant in Garden Grove.
I've seen the purple cauliflower in Stater Bros off and on in 2007 - seems they don't always carry it. I wondered if the coloring made any difference in the flavor. Did you notice any?
ReplyDeleteI've never seen purple cauliflower over here. Does it taste the same as ordinary cauliflower?
ReplyDeleteoh. I have not seen a purple cauliflower before...
ReplyDeletehey, it doesnt matter how it looks, as long as it tastes good- =)
wow purple cauliflower...super pretty...i think i saw it once in hong kong...lemme try it next time...thx for the inspiration
ReplyDeletevery cool purple cauliflower :-) and yummy sounding recipe!
ReplyDeleteI think it is preferable if Oanh is chuffed *about*; although being chuffed *over* is okay. I think Oanh can never be chuffed *for*.
Don't you use chuffed? It's a great word. You know when little kids are all happy with the world and they sit there with a stupid smile on their face just kinda rocking to themsleves? That's chuffed!
Thanks for the cauliflower recipe - always lokking for a new way to cook it, and this sounds delicious.
ReplyDeleteThere is another recipe that I'd like to have. Its for Gobi(Cauliflower) Manchurian. After Hakka people migrated from China to India, they created a whole new cuisine, and I love this dish. If you have the recipe, please share.
Not only does this sound delicious, but what a visual treat!!
ReplyDeleteThe purple color is so lovely. I've been seeing more and more of these exotic colored cauliflowers.
ReplyDeleteThat cauliflower is beautiful. Never thought I would ever say that. Lol.
ReplyDeleteNikki and W&S,
ReplyDeleteIt's sort of like the difference between plain and red cabbage. I think it's more visual than anything else.
Daphne,
That's what I always say.
MCR,
I hope you can find it in HK. It's fun to play with.
Oanh,
Americans don't get "chuffed." We get "psyched"! :)
johta,
After your comment, I looked through my flyers and realized that an Indian restaurant I had gone to before had Indo-Chinese night. All this time, I thought they were just offering up Chinese dishes too. Their gobi Manchurian was a bit heavy on the soy sauce and not crispy. I was imagining crispy batter and a sweet and sour sauce? Would that be correct? Seems easy enough for me to come up with a recipe.
Cakespy,
Looks do matter! Hehehe.
Liz,
I think I want to play with the green or orange cauliflowers next.
Jessy,
Yes, but only in the raw right?